The FNC Entertainment CEO, Han Seong Ho, has come under fire for his favor of CNBLUE and Jung Yong Hwa in particular.
And the reason is because people are reacting as fans of Lee Hongki and FTIsland. The comments I read stated that FTIsland was what put FNC on the map. And that CNBLUE has made mistakes. Jung Yong Hwa isn’t any particular greater person than Lee Hongki. And Han Seong Ho is one biased man. Etc, etc, etc…

Okay, so I am totally CNBLUE biased.

However, I am not Jung Yong Hwa biased.

In CNBLUE, my eyes find Kang Minhyuk more often than Jung Yonghwa. And Lee Jonghyun more before Jung Yonghwa. Although I’ll admit to the boy’s talent in songwriting. I can’t fault his acting either. I do fault his choices of drama, though. Because the story lines are just too… well… boring. His personality is also exuberant. His quick smile easy and engaging. You see a person behind the mask that all idols have to wear. This snake man is a consummate seducer of massive appeal. I swear he could probably sell you Brooklyn Bridge and there will be people lining up to buy it. Or a piece of it.

On the other hand, there is Lee Hongki. FTIsland’s main vocalist. And truly, truly, Lee Hongki’s voice is incredible. Really really nice, could probably outshine Jung Yonghwa’s in some songs. However, Lee Hongki’s talent was never in any doubt. Not even FTIsland’s talent is in any doubt. Lee Hongki has presence. He has some very powerful voice. And he is charismatic.

The problem came because Han Seong Ho decided to say it like it is. If you had a company and you’re about to give it away for someone else to take to the next level, between Yonghwa and Hongki, which would you prefer? If I was the CEO, I would trust Yonghwa with the growth of the company more than I would Hongki. And I’ll tell you why.

Despite how the public sees CNBLUE, Jung Yonghwa holds them tightly. Regardless of the plagiarism scandal and all that.
Jung Yonghwa had always held himself to a different standard. Careful, almost meticulous, obsessive, a near perfectionist. And although the leader of the group, he also wants the other three to continually grow to be themselves. The color of their own music emerging, encouraged by a leader that will step back so as not to influence them unduly. His own group has said that he is a great support for all three of them. The man is the perfect example of what a leader should be. One that will sacrifice a little to reap the benefit of a future that has a lot more.

Hongki, more often than not, acts like a spoiled child. Perhaps it’s only an image, but why cultivate that kind of image for yourself? A playful, fun loving person is what I see. There is a certain seriousness, but in truth, his leader Choi Joong Hoon is the one that creates the order in the group more than Hongki. And the quiet leader keeps that to himself. Hongki is the one that is known of all the FTIsland boys. His face, his words, his actions. But he’s not the one that keeps it together.

If in the future, the CEO actually taps Jung Yonghwa for the position as CEO, I think that at that time Han Seong ho has thought about where Jung Yonghwa will take his company and in what kind of environment his stars will be nurtured in. Although, I see Jung Yonghwa reaching further than the music industry. Perhaps into the political arena. He’d be a perfect Ambassador, I think, to the US of A. Or Japan.

I like Han Seong Ho, actually, for the genius of the music he’s composed. Well, considering that the kind of musical genius I’m looking for is someone like Sting, Han Seong Ho’s ‘ballads’ are a contender for being ALMOST like Sting’s. I have yet to let go of Sarang Bireul Tago – Love Follows the Rain – in my repertoire of music I listen to. And just to make it more perfect, the Korean tracks for his compositions are incredible when Lee Jonghyun sings them.

After all, to me, Lee Jonghyun’s duets with Jung Yonghwa are sheer perfection.

Yes, yes, they’re good on solos as well, but when they blend their voices together, I feel very good listening to them.

So, just my opinion. Don’t roast the CEO because you’re only thinking of your idol. It’s not about that for the CEO. You asked between two of the most notable faces of two of his own band. But you forget that Hongki is not the leader of FTIsland, while Yonghwa is. Between the two, I too, would choose Yonghwa. It’s like comparing apple pears to Mandarin Oranges. Really.

Had they asked the CEO to choose between Choi Joong Hoon and Jung Yonghwa, his answer may have been different. Now you’re comparing two kinds of oranges. One could be better for juice, the other for snacking, still they’re both oranges. If it was me, I’d prefer Joong Hoon. He allows his star to shine, not overshadowing Lee Hongki’s star. Even though he’s twice more handsome than the singer and that much more talented in composition and instruments. However, his hold and discipline with his group is more lax. Especially on Hongki’s mouth which, unfortunately, likes to run too far.

My love is a flame that burns in your name ~ ~ Would North be true~~encircled you in trenches and barbed wire~~the moon’s a fingernail and slowly sinking~~how will she know if I’m damned or I’m free~~There is no monopoly in common sense on either side of the political fence~~…blood will flow when flesh and steel are one…~~… whatever the sweetest wine that I’ve tasted…~

When did I start liking Sting?

It started when I was in High School. So, it must have been Fortress Around your Heart. With his character as Dr. Frankenstein in “The Bride.”

Although he was first known in The Police, I wasn’t too into The Police besides Wrapped Around your Finger and Every Breath You Take. Their famous Roxanne wasn’t something my 10 year old self (at the time) wanted to know about. LOL!

But with Fortress Around your Heart, Russians also came in. And my heart went to Sting and haven’t left. He has throughout all his years of music made some of the more versatile songs that I have listened to. In so many languages.

Fragile, I think, is his most translated work.

Off of the top of my head, Fields of Gold, Dessert Rose, Ghost Story, English Man in New York, Why Should I Cry for you, La Belle Dame Sans Regrets, I’m Mad about you….

That one… had me searching the internet for a Spanish version because I could have sworn I heard it in a Spanish version. I was wrong, it’s Italian!

Fragil is the Portuguese version of Fragile. Fragilidad is the Spanish Version of Fragile.

I also like his Shape of my Heart, I love the Jazz pieces he does. Cuenca Solas, Whenever I say your name…. this one song became a dedicated song. I don’t dedicate too many songs. But this one, one person comes to mind when I hear this. And that will always be that person’s song. I think in all the years I’ve been alive only four songs I’ve listened to became dedicated to someone in my life. Passing or not. Oh, I forgot… five. There is that one song that when I hear it… I think of THAT one person… The title is “Gives you Hell.” Not exactly a nice piece.

Back to Sting, Valparaiso…

Around the late 80’s I discovered DUNE… and what did I see? Sting! In all his gorgeous glory!!! Okay, he was muscled and my goodness! I didn’t quite fall in love with the man, but that was interesting!

All the songs that was compiled in Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984-1994 is hands down my favorite because it compiled all of my favorite tracks. Although I wish Moon over Bourbon Street was in it. Why are his songs so FASCINATING?

Why? Perhaps because of the way he phrases them. It’s like he’s telling a story. You see the West Wind moving through the fields of barley, the ships in the distance, the rising and rolling of waves, the dog star… The mines he’s laid, the battlements… Who the heck even knows what the hell that is? How about that formal dance floor, do you see you dancing in a waltz around Sting in the song “When we Dance”? I could.

I have yet to find someone who has this style of songwriting. The fact that his songs are influenced from world music, but grounded in Jazz and Rock is too cool for me. And perhaps because he was first an English teacher, the way he phrases his song lyrics are too… beautiful. Poetic. Flowing like a river. Flowing like the wind around, lifting, carrying you into the world that Sting knows.

Under the dog star sailOver the reefs of moonshineUnder the skies of fallNorth, north west, the Stones of Faroe

Under the Arctic fireOver the seas of silenceHauling on frozen ropesFor all my days remainingBut would north be true?

This, I think, is the appeal of Sting. What the hell is the stones of Faroe again? No, it’s not Stonehenge. And just in case you guys are still unsure about the Dog Star, it’s Siruis. Yes, there is a star called Siruis. Not the satellite radio thingy. It is the brightest star in the night sky. People around the world navigated by it. They called it the dog star, the wolf star, the bear star, etc. Its rising marks the “dog days of summer.” And you thought all those myths from long ago had no purpose. Sting found one!

I hope you feel a little Sting tonight or today. My thoughts, start with Fields of Gold, then segue into Ghost Story, calm down with the Italian version of “Mad about you,” take a trip with Fortress Around your Heart, become introspective with Fragilidad, and take a dip with Valparaiso, and finally end with Whenever I say Your name. I would drink some sweet wine and think of that special someone. And just because, you should also think about listening to Englishman in New York with Why should I cry for you.

Because really…I’m an alien, I’m a legal Alien should go with “I loved you in my fashion….”

By the way, that line reminds me so of a line in a poem called Cynara. “I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! In my fashion.